Orthopaedic supports are typically used to stabilize and protect certain injured parts of the human anatomy. Such supports have often been used on knees, elbows, ankles, wrists, thighs and backs. These supports are intended to reduce strain on the injured body part, thereby allowing the injury to heal. Some supports have included struts and other hardware to help relieve some of the load from the injured part, and to restrict motion.
One such orthopaedic support is constructed as follows. First, the manufacturer cuts a base layer from a sheet of material, such as foam rubber. The manufacturer then sews a variety of pads onto the base layer, which may include buttresses, condylar pads, and popliteal pads. The manufacturer then sews on straps, which are used to secure the support to a limb. The manufacturer may also attach hardware to the support, or may sandwich such hardware between the base layer of material and a pad.
A number of problems arise with this common type of support. The first problem relates to the manufacturing process. To construct such a support, the manufacturer must cut the pads from a piece of material, position those pads onto the base layer, and sew the pads into place. The process of cutting, sewing, and positioning is labor-intensive and can become expensive. If a pad is improperly positioned and sewn, the entire support may need to be discarded as defective. Furthermore, material is wasted when the cutting process produces scrap pieces that must be thrown away.
A second set of problems arises with the support characteristics of this common type of orthopaedic support. First, the typical support stretches in order to roughly conform to the shape of joints and limbs. However, mere stretching cannot allow the support to closely conform to the nuances in the shape of the limb or joint, particularly in the case of knees, elbows and ankles. As a result, areas of the limb or joint are left under-supported or even entirely unsupported.
Another problem arises because the typical support has a base that is of uniform thickness and density, thereby producing uniform circumferential compression. Such compression cannot be increased or decreased to provide more or less support in selected areas of the injured limb or joint, in the absence of supplemental material straps. Consequently, such a support tends to shift position on the limb because there are no regions of high pressure to anchor it. Furthermore, a support having uniform thickness and density may allow the limb to move with equal ease in a variety of directions. Such ease of movement may increase the likelihood that a particular injury such as a patella injury will be aggravated.
A third set of problems arises with respect to the performance of the typical support. One problem is that the support material tends to bunch up whenever the limb is flexed. This bunching tends to interfere with the motion of the limb, is uncomfortable to the user, and may rub or chafe the skin and even bruise the skin. Another problem is that the edges of the typical support are die-cut, thereby exposing the user's skin to potentially allergenic support materials, such as neoprene. The edges tend to be rather rough, causing skin irritation during exercise.
An additional set of problems stems from hardware that may be attached to the typical support. Such hardware may include gel packs, inflatable bladders, pumps, straps, and struts. This hardware tends to protrude from the base of the support and can get caught on other objects. Since the hardware is typically sewn onto the base, the stitches can be ripped from the base and the hardware torn free. A special problem arises with hinged strut mechanisms, which can be twisted out of place so that the hinged strut does not properly guide and support the flexing motion of the joint.